Smart Clothes Developed to Monitor People’s Activity

Smart Clothes Developed to Monitor People’s Activity

A team of Australian researchers have developed a new generation of clothes that keep track of its wearer’s activity by using strain-sensing textile fibers that are able to detect muscle movement.

Dr. Shayan Seyedin, from the Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM), said the strain-sensing textiles could be used to produce compression garments that monitor professional athletes during competition, or to allow patients to track and compile data while undergoing physical rehabilitation.

The devices could also be applied to virtual and augmented reality technology, especially in the field of virtual reality games and simulations, the German news agency reported.

Speaking to the “Tech Xplore” website, Seyedin explained: "Strain-sensing textiles have particular relevance in the development of smart devices for health, sports and soft robotics.”

"These wearable devices can convert a wide range of body movements into electrical signals, making it possible to track and record different physical activities,” he noted.

This kind of smart textile is composed of conductive elastic fibers. As the body’s resistance levels change, this information is sent to a computer monitor using a wireless transmitter chip, where it can then be recorded and used to provide feedback on the body.

Seyedin said this was the first time such technology had been scaled up to wearable levels, using standard industry processing and commercially available products to keep it affordable and accessible.